


Amore

by IcyPheonix



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS
Genre: Jin also makes a brief appearance, Love Confessions, M/M, Vrains Rare Pair Week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-27
Updated: 2018-12-27
Packaged: 2019-09-28 07:49:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17178815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IcyPheonix/pseuds/IcyPheonix
Summary: Day 4. BirthdayIt's Yusaku's 18th birthday and there's someone he needs to see. And something he needs to say.





	Amore

"It's time to wake up master, time to wake up."

A tiny, robotic voice sounded from somewhere to Yusaku's left and he groaned, burying his face into his pillow.

"It's too early," he muttered.

"You instructed me to wake you up early because it is your birthday today master."

Slowly, Yusaku raised his head from his pillow, peering blearily down at the small blue robot. The screen on her faceplate shifted from it's regular pair of dots to a (^w^) face as she looked up at him.

"Happy 18th birthday master!"

That was right, he had asked Roboppy to ensure that he got up early on his birthday, or at least earlier than usual. He just wished that he'd remembered asking that before pulling his all nighter. What a bad combination.

"Could you put the coffee on?" he asked as he sat up, sliding out from under his blankets. Perhaps by the time he got himself out of bed and into the kitchen it would be ready.

"Of course master," she beeped before rolling out of the room.

He yawned and stretched his arms over his head; 18, he was 18 years old, legally an adult although not yet old enough to drink, smoke or gamble. Not that he minded really, none of those were particularly interesting to him.

There was really only one thing he wanted to do that day, more specifically one person he wanted to see.

Wiping away the sleep from his eyes he finally clambered out of bed and set about getting dressed for the day.

"Oh master you're up!" chirped Roboppy as as Yusaku came into the kitchen. "The coffee will be ready shortly."

"Thank you Roboppy."

"You're welcome. And happy birthday master!"

 

Yusaku sighed, looking down at the coffee in his hands as he headed to where he knew Kusanagi would have set up shop that morning. He needed to, no wanted to speak to him, but he had no idea what to say. He absolutely could not screw it up this time, he had to go about this the right way, whatever that was.

' _Does he even still remember?_ ' he wondered. It had been several years and several busy ones at that, so he wouldn't blame him for forgetting. He surely had more important things on his mind than, that. But Yusaku hadn't forgotten, how could he forget when he spent so much time around Kusanagi? How could he forget the way Kusanagi made his chest tighten and his heart flutter, how he was the first person to make him feel like he wasn't alone.

 

"Good morning, Kusanagi-san." Yusaku set a coffee cup on the counter of the hotdog truck, which had only just opened for the day. Steam rose off the cup and into the cool morning air, curling into little wisps as it scattered and faded away.

"Oh, Yusaku, you're here early," said Kusanagi as he stood up from behind the counter. "And you brought me coffee! You never bring me coffee."

"I wanted to do something different today," he said, taking a sip from his own cup. "Any business yet?"

Kusanagi laughed as he picked up the cup, "Hardly, it's still too early." He glanced around, "Would you like to come in, it's a little warmer in here."

Yusaku smiled, "I'd like that."

Despite the open front it was warmer inside than out, mainly due in part to the heat coming off the grill and percolating coffee pot.

Kusanagi sat down in a chair, the cup held between his hands. "So how's your morning this morning Yusaku?"

"Early, that's what the coffee is for."

Kusanagi chuckled. "Oh, and happy birthday, Yusaku."

"You remembered!"

"Of course I did. And even if I hadn't, Jin did. Made me stay up all night last night baking with him to make something for your birthday."

"Oh?"

Kusanagi nodded, "He'll probably stop by later, so try to act a little surprised for him, ok?"

Yusaku laughed, "Alright." He took a sip from his mug before looking back to Kusanagi, who was leaning back in his chair, hands curled around the cup. "Kusanagi-san, do you, remember two years ago?"

"You're going to have to be a bit more specific there Yusaku. We did a lot of things two years ago."

"Before Ai came into the picture, when it was still just the two of us Do you, do you remember when I, kissed you?"

Kusanagi froze before slowly lowering his coffee cup. "I remember. It's...a little hard to forget something like that."

_It had been a particularly rough day in Link VRAINS for Yusaku, he was exhausted and very nearly collapsed upon logging out. The only thing that had kept him from hitting the floor was the fact that Kusanagi had been there to catch him. Instead of hitting the floor he collapsed into his chest and Kusanagi's arms wrapped around him, holding him close. It felt so nice and Yusaku just wanted to remain that way forever, pressed against Kusanagi's chest and held in his arms. He looked up into Kusanagi's worried face and before he could stop himself, grabbed the man by the collar of his jacket, pulled himself up and pressed his lips to Kusanagi's._

"Do you remember what you said to me after?" asked Yusaku, hands shaking slightly as he gripped his cup tightly.

_After getting over the initial shock of Yusaku's actions, Kusanagi quickly pulled away, placing his hands on Yusaku's shoulders to keep a distance between them._

_"Yusaku what are you doing?" he asked, a light blush dusting his cheeks._

_"Kissing you, what does it look like?"_

_"I'm almost 20!"_

_"So? I'm 16, it's not really against the law. I checked," replied Yusaku. "I-I want to-to be with you."_

_"That's not–Yusaku no."_

_"Why not Kusanagi-san?"_

_Kusanagi sighed and ran a hand through his hair, avoiding meeting Yusaku's gaze. "You're too young, I don't want you to get hurt."_

_Yusaku frowned, "Are you saying you would hurt me?"_

_"No! God no, I could never._ _But Yusaku you're...have you given this any thought?_ _This isn't the sort of thing you just jump right into. That's how you get hurt." He squeezed Yusaku's shoulder's gently, "I want you to be sure that this is something you truly want, not a decision made int he heat of the moment or because of," he paused for a moment, "teenage hormones."_

_"Kusanagi-san!"_

_"I'm just saying Yusaku."_

_Yusaku frowned and looked down at the ground_ _, averting his gaze from Kusanagi's._

"Yeah I remember," said Kusanagi, running a hand through his hair. "I said..."

_"Two years."_

_Yusaku looked up at him, a look of puzzlement on his face._

_"If you're really serious about this, then two years, wait two years. If you still feel the same at that time then, I might consider this-us."_

"And it's been two years," said Yusaku. "And I..." He pressed a hand to his chest, was this how Takeru had felt when he finally confessed to Kiku? "Kusanagi-san I love you. I still love you. So I hope, you're still willing to consider this, to consider us."

For a moment Kusanagi was silent as he sat across from Yusaku, the tension between them now so thick you could cut it with a knife.

"Yusaku, can you give me a chance to think?" asked Kusanagi. "I want to give you a proper answer, but I need time to properly think it over."

"That's...that's fair," said Yusaku a little sadly.

"Hey, why don't you stay and help me out, I could use an extra hand. If you haven't already made other plans that is."

"I haven't," replied Yusaku. "But, are you sure?"

Kusanagi smiled, "Yeah I'm sure."

 

It had been a while since Yusaku had worked in the food truck alongside Kusanagi, most of the time when he worked it was alone, covering for the man when the situation arose. So working with him wasn't something he was used to.

The early morning crowd was primarily there for coffee, hardly a shock to Yusaku, though they were either grumpy or not entirely awake yet which made for some frustrating dealings. It was the rare sort that bought a hot dog much before 10 or 11 in the morning, so even with the grill prepped and warm it was keeping them warm more than it was cooking any food.

And then it was like a switch had been flipped and suddenly everyone wanted food. And the closer it drew to lunch time, the more people began to roll in wanting food.

"Looks like we're hitting the lunch rush now," said Kusanagi with a grin as he opened another pack of hot dogs.

"How on earth do you manage this alone?" asked Yusaku.

"Lots and lots of practice," he said with a laugh. "Now don't keep our customers waiting."

"Do we ever get to take break?" asked Yusaku as he handed a hot dog and coffee off to the customer he'd been serving.

Kusanagi leaned over slightly and scanned the small, but hungry crowd. "Yeah, I see our break soon. Here, you man the grills for a bit."

"I-alright."

Kusanagi clapped him on the shoulder before taking over the front counter, Yusaku moving over to the grill where a batch of fresh hot dogs were sizzling.

He hadn't been tending them long when he heard a familiar voice from the front, only just able to be heard over the sound of the crowd and the cooking food in the truck. Turning he saw Jin standing at the front of the line, talking to Kusanagi.

"Oh, Fujiki-kun! I didn't expect you to be here," he said, noticing Yusaku.

"I didn't expect to be here either," said Yusaku.

"Well uh, happy birthday Fujiki-kun!" he said, holding out the plastic container he was holding. "Nii-san and I made these last night, and I spent all morning frosting them."

Yusaku looked down at the try that had found its way into his hands then back to Jin and smiled slightly. "Thank you Jin."

Jin smiled brightly. "I hope you enjoy them Fujiki-kun. I, I would stay but I already have plans. Again, happy birthday!" With a wave and a smile Jin hurried off.

"And with that, we get to take our break," said Kusanagi, reaching for the 'out to lunch' sign as he closed the front up.

Moving to the small table, Yusaku set the container down and opened the lid to look inside. Inside were about half a dozen cupcakes, each one topped with white frosting and colourful sprinkles.

"Happy Birthday, Yusaku," said Kusanagi as he sat down across from Yusaku.

"I didn't know you could bake."

Kusanagi grinned, "It's amazing what you can do with a recipe. And don't worry, we taste-tested them last night. They do in fact taste like food."

Yusaku smiled before digging into one of the cupcakes. His eyes widened as the taste hit his tongue, it tasted of strawberry while the icing had a creamy taste to it.

"It's, really good," he said.

"I'm glad you like them."

The rest of lunch was fairly quiet, Yusaku barely able to meet Kusanagi's gaze as they ate. Even though Kusanagi had said he wanted time to think, which was fair enough, he couldn't help but to feel, rejected.

As he stood up to put the container of cupcakes away so they could open back up again, Kusanagi's hand caught his.

"Yusaku, could we talk a moment? I wanted to wait until the day was done but, I don't say this it's going to eat me up."

"What is it?" asked Yusaku, sitting down beside Kusanagi.

The man sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I...need to be honest with you. The first time, when I told you to wait I was, hoping that you would move on from me and find someone else. You deserve to be happy with someone, and deserve someone better than me."

"Kusanagi-san..."

"I mean look at me, I practically live out my truck, I'm a self taught hacker that never even went to college and...and I couldn't even protect my little brother. If I couldn't protect him how could I protect you?" He exhaled heavily and twisted his hands together. "You deserve better than this," he gestured to the truck around them. "Better than me."

"But what if I want this, what if I want you?" asked Yusaku, reaching over and curling his hands around Kusanagi's. "And you are good enough Kusanagi-san. You did protect me, in fact you saved me. You were my shield, and my strength." Kusanagi's cheeks flushed deeply but Yusaku continued. "And if I have to keep telling you that you're enough, that I love you, then I will."

"Yusaku, you really don't need to," said Kusanagi, slipping one hand free of Yusaku's and cupping his face carefully. Tilting his head up, Kusanagi leaned over and pressed his lips to Yusaku's.

Yusaku's breath caught in his throat and he instinctively reached out to grab Kusanagi by the collar the moment he felt him start to pull back. He wanted to hold onto this, this moment and this feeling, to hold onto Kusanagi, as if it would all vanish the moment he let go.

"You wanted an answer Yusaku," murmured Kusanagi against his lips, pulling Yusaku to his chest. "So here's my answer."

Yusaku sighed as their lips met again, hands relaxing and wrapping around the back of Kusanagi's neck. 

"I love you Yusaku."

 

The rest of the day seemed to fly on by and before either of them realized it the sun had gone down, they'd closed up the hotdog truck for the night and Yusaku was headed home.

"So no plans for tonight?" asked Kusanagi as he stopped outside Yusaku's place.

"Not really. We couldn't get everyone together tonight, so we're celebrating on the weekend," said Yusaku as he stepped out of the truck. He glanced over at his place, then back to Kusanagi. "Would you like to come inside? I can't offer much but-"

"I'd love to."

Yusaku's cheeks warmed as he looked away quickly. He didn't often invite people over to his house, and certainly not this late.

As he opened the front door Roboppy rolled up to greet him. "Welcome home Master," she chirped. "Hello Kusanagi."

Kusanagi smiled, "Hello Roboppy."

The small robot smiled before rolling off to another room, leaving the pair in the hall way.

For a moment Yusaku hesitated before reaching and taking hold of Kusanagi's hand, slotting their fingers together and leading him to the living room.

As they sat down on the small couch, Yusaku looked up at him, almost nervously. "K-Kusanagi-san, can I ask something of you?"

"Of course. Is something wrong Yusaku?"

He shook his head furiously. "No I just...would it, would it be alright if I called you, Shoichi?"

Kusanagi froze, Yusaku never called him by his given name. It was always 'Kusanagi-san', occasionally he dropped the honorific if he was tired enough and not paying attention but that was rare.

When he didn't answer Yusaku frowned. "Did I say something wrong? If you don't want me to call you that I won't but-"

"No it's fine," he replied quickly. "You just surprised me." He smiled and gave Yusaku's hand a gentle squeeze. "I wouldn't mind at all if you called me by my first name. In fact, I'd be honoured."

A smile tugged at Yusaku's lips as he leaned close, nuzzling Kusanagi gently as they sat together. This was by far, the best birthday he'd had in a long time. "Thank you, Shoichi."

**Author's Note:**

> So I actually did double check and 18 actually IS the age of majority in Japan-apparently this is recent change, lowering it from 20. However 20 is still the drinking/smoking/gambling age, so poor Yusaku can't go out for drinks for his 18th birthday haha. He's legally an adult but without being able to do most of the fun adult things rip.
> 
> As for his 'well it's not really against the law' comment, technically a 16 and 19/20 year old *could* date if the parents/guardians ok-ed it but since Yusaku doesn't have those *shrug emoji* Yusaku just, doesn't care. 
> 
> Also Kusanagi's age (being roughly 4 years older than Yusaku) based purely on my headcanon for his age, since we don't have a confirmed age yet.
> 
>  
> 
> This was originally going to be nsfw but I decided against it.


End file.
